L  B 

32.13 


GIFT   OF 


DEC  29  1Q: 


NORTH  DAKOTA 

LAWS  and  RULES 

In  Regard  to 

T       Construction,    Inspection,  Ventil- 
ation and  Sanitation  of  School  Buildings 

Compiled   by   Edward    Erickson,  State    School   Inspector 


PUBLISHED  APRIL  1,1920 


-    . 


Published  by  the  State  Department   of  Public  Instruction 

MINNIE  J.   NIELSON,   Superintendent 


SMARCK  TRIBUNE  a»t>..  STATE  PR'- 


NORTH  DAKOTA 

LAWS  and  RULES 

In  Regard  to 

The   Construction,   Inspection,  Ventil- 
ation and  Sanitation  of  School  Buildings 

Compiled  by  Edward    Erickson,  State    School   Inspector 


PUBLISHED  APRIL  1,  1920 


Published  by  the  State  Department  of  Public  Instruction 

MINNIE  J.  NIELSON,  Superintendent 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Page 

The  Law   in   Regard  to   Construction   of   School   Buildings    and    In- 
spection, Ventilation  and  Sanitation  Thereof   5 

Introductory  Statement   7 

Heating  and  Ventilating  of  School  Buildings. 

General  Statement   8 

Ventilation — By  Dr.  J.  Grassick,  Grand  Forks,  N.  Dak 10 

Plans  and  Specifications  for  School  Buildings    13 

Dimensions  of  School  Rooms  13 

Blackboards 13 

Lighting    13 

Color   of  Walls   and   Ceilings    14 

Window   Shades    14 

Heating  and  Ventilation    14 

The  Jacketed   Stove    *  15 

The  Hot  Air  Basement  Furnace    15 

Steam  Heat    17 

Fan  System  of  Ventilation   .  o 17 

The  Furnace  Room   17 

Fire    Protection    17 

Fire  Drill  and  Guards  for  Public  Schools   18 

Sanitation   19 

County  Board  of  Health  Has  Authority  to  Condemn  School  Buildings  19 

Toilets 19 

Drinking  Fountains   20 

Water  Supply— By  Dr.  A.  A.  Whittemore,  Bowman,  N.  Dak 21 


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THE  LAW  IN  REGARD  TO  CONSTRUCTION  OF  SCHOOL  BUILDINGS 
AND  INSPECTION,  VENTILATION  AND  SANITATION  THEREOF. 


The  state  law  in  regard  to  construction  of  school  buildings  and  in- 
spection, ventilation  and  sanitation  thereof  is  as  follows: 

§  1489.  Buildings  Inspected.  Plans  and  Specifications  to  be  Sub- 
mitted to  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.]  No  building  which  is 
designed  to  be  used,  in  whole  or  in  part  as  a  public  school  building,  shall 
be  erected  until  a  copy  of  the  plans  thereof  has  been  submitted  to  the 
state  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  who  for  the  purposes  of  carry- 
ing out  the  provisions  of  this  act  is  hereby  designated  as  inspector  of 
said  public  school  building  plans  and  specifications,  by  the  person  caus- 
ing its  erection  or  by  the  architect  thereof;  such  plans  shall  include  the 
method  of  ventilation  provided  for,  and  a  copy  of  the  specifications 
therefor. 

• 

§  1490.  Construction  of  School  Houses.]  Such  plans  and  specifica- 
tions shall  show  in  detail  the  ventilation,  heating  and  lighting  of  such 
building.  The  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction  shall  not  approve 
any  plans  for  the  erection  of  any  school  building  or  addition  thereto 
unless  the  same  shall  provide  at  least  twelve  square  feet  of  floor  space 
and  two  hundred  cubic  feet  of  air  space  for  each  pupil  to  be  accommo- 
dated in  each  study  or  recitation  room  therein. 

(1)  Light  shall  be  admitted  from  the  left  or  from  the  left  and  rear 
of  class  rooms  and  the  total  light  area  must,  unless  strengthened  by  the 
use  of  reflecting  lenses  be  equal  to  at  least  20  per  cent  of  the  floor  space. 

(2)  All   ceilings   shall   be  at  least  twelve   feet  in  height. 

(3)  No  such  plans  shall  be  approved  by  him  unless  provision  is  made 
therein  for  assuring  at  least  30  cubic  feet  of  pure  air  every  minute  per 
pupil  and  warmed  to  maintain  an  average  temperature  of  70  degrees  F. 
during  the  coldest  winter  weather,  and  the  facilities  for  exhausting  the 
foul  or  vitiated  air  therein  shall  be  positive  and  independent  of  atmos- 
pheric changes.     No  tax  voted  by  a  district  meeting  or  other  competent 
authority  in  any  such  city,  village  or  school  district,  exceeding  the  sum 
of  two   thousand    ($2,000.00)    shall   be    levied   by   the   trustees   until   the 
state  superintendent  of  public  instruction  shall  certify  that  the  plans  and 
specifications  for  the  same  comply  with  the  provisions  of  this  act.     All 
school  houses  for  which  plans  and  detailed  specifications  shall  be  filed 
and  approved,  as  required  by  this  act,  shall  have  all  halls,  doors,  stair- 
ways, seats,  passageways  and  aisles  and  all  lighting  and  heating  appli- 
ances and  apparatus  arranged  to  facilitate  egress  in  case  of  fire  or  acci- 
dent and  to  afford  the  requisite  and  proper  accommodations  for  public 
protection  in  such  cases.    All  exit  doors  shall  open  outwardly,  and  shall 
if  double  doors  be  used,  fasten  with  movable  bolts  operated  'simultane- 
ously by  one  handle  from  the  inner  face  of  the  door.    No  staircase  shall 
be  constructed  with  wider  steps  in  lieu  of  a  platform,  but  shall  be  con- 


6  LAWS   AND    RULES   REGARDING    SCHOOL   BUILDINGS 

structed  with  straight  runs,  changes  in  direction  being  made  by  platform. 
No  doors  shall  open  immediately  upon  a  flight  of  stairs,  but  a  landing  at 
least  the  width  of  the  door  shall  be  provided  between  such  stairs  and 
such  doorway. 

(4)  Every  public  school  building  shall  be  kept  clean  and  free  from 
affluvia  arising  from  any  drain,  privy  or  nuisance,  and  shall  be  provided 
with  sufficient  number  of  proper  water  closets,  earth  closets  or  privies, 
and  shall  be  ventilated  in  such  a  manner  that  the  air  shall  not  become 
so  impure  as  to  be  injurious  to  health. 

§  1491.  Toilet  Rooms.  How  Constructed.]  No  toilet  rooms  shall  be 
constructed  in  any  public  school  building  unless  same  has  outside  venti- 
lation and  windows  permitting  free  access  of  air  and  light.  The  provi- 
sions of  this  act  shall  be  enforced  by  the  state  superintendent  of  public 
instruction  or  some  person  designated  by  him  for  that  purpose. 

§    1482.    Method  of  Inspection  and  Adjustment  of  Grievances.]     If  it 

appears  to  the  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction  or  his  deputy 
appointed  for  that  particular  purpose,  that  further  or  different  sanitary 
or  ventilating  provisions,  which  can  be  provided  without  unreasonable 
expense,  are  required  in  any  public  school  building,  he  may  issue  a  writ- 
ten order  to  the  proper  person  or  authority,  directing  such  sanitary  or 
ventilating  provisions  to  be  provided.  A  school  committee,  public  officer 
or  person  who  has  charge  of  any  such  public  school  building,  who  neg- 
lects for  four  weeks  to  comply  with  the  order  of  said  state  superintendent 
of  public  instruction  or  his  deputy,  shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  less 
than  one  hundred  dollars  nor  more  than  one  thousand  dollars. 

(1)  Whoever  is  aggrieved  by  the  order  of  the  state  superintendent  of 
public  instruction  or  his  deputy  issued  as  above  provided,  and  relating 
to  a  public  school  building,  may  within  thirty  days  after  the  service 
thereof,  apply  in  writing  to  the  board  of  health  of  the  city,  town,  incor- 
porated village  or  school  district  to  set  aside  or  amend  the  order;  and 
thereupon  the  board,  after  notice  to  all  parties  interested,  shall  give  a 
hearing  upon  such  order,  and  may  alter,  annul  or  affirm  it. 

§1493.  Ventilating-  Flues  and  Method  of  Constructing  Same.]  No 
wooden  flue  or  air  duct  for  heating  or  ventilating  purposes  shall  be  placed 
in  any  building  which  is  subject  to  the  provisions  of  this  act,  and  no  pipe 
for  conveying  hot  air  or  steam  in  such  building  shall  be  placed  or  remain 
within  one  inch  of  any  wood-work,  unless  protected  by  suitable  guards  or 
casings  of  incombustible  material. 

§  1494.    Approval  of  Plans.    By  Whom  and  Penalty  for  Violation.] 

To  secure  the  approval  of  plans  showing  the  method  or  systems  of  heat- 
ing and  ventilation  as  provided  for  in  Sec.  1490  the  foregoing  require- 
ments must  be  guaranteed  in  the  specifications  accompanying  the  plans. 
Hereafter  erections  or  constructions  of  public  school  buildings  by  archi- 
tect or  other  person  who  draws  plans  or  specifications  or  superintends 
the  erection  of  a  public  school  building,  in  violation  of  the  provisions  of 
this  act,  shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  less  than  one  hundred  dollars 
nor  more  than  one  thousand  dollars. 


T-IX.ST  r~L.otjf.rLAn 


Basement  plan  and  floor  plan  of  Coal  Harbor  School.     A  good  plan 
for  a  four-room  school. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  UAKOTA 


INTRODUCTORY  STATEMENT 

The  purpose  of  this  bulletin  is  to  give  some  definite  suggestions  as  to 
how  the  provisions  of  this  law  in  regard  to  the  heating,  ventilation  and 
sanitation  of  one-room  rural,  graded  and  consolidated  graded  school 
buildings  may  be  complied  with. 

This  law  was  enacted  several  years  ago.  The  law  is  sound  and  com- 
plies with  the  generally  recognized  standard  requirements  that  make  for 
safe,  serviceable  and  sanitary  school  buildings.  The  provisions  of  this  law 
are  however,  very  general  and  architects  and  contractors  have  differed 
as  to  ways  by  means  of  which  the  ends  sought  to  be  accomplished  by 
the  provisions  of  the  law  might  be  complied  with. 

It  is  a  fact,  too,  that  the  rules  and  regulations  prescribed  by  the 
Department  of  Education  in  regard  to  heating  and  ventilation  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  standardization  and  state  aid  have  been  too  indefin- 
ite. These  requirements  regarding  heating  and  ventilation  though  com- 
plied with  have  not  brought  the  desired  results. 

Several  hundred  school  buildings  have  been  erected  under  the  provi- 
sions of  this  law.  The  heating  and  ventilation  of  such  a  large  number 
of  these  is  so  unsatisfactory  that  the  problem  of  heating  and  ventilating 
the  one-room,  two-to-five  room  graded  and  consolidated  graded  school 
building  is  nothing  less  than  serious.  This  statement  is  based  on  three 
years  experience  in  inspecting  these  schools  in  this  state.  Of  the  great 
number  of  buildings  inspected  during  this  period  it  can  scarcely  be  said 
that  the  heating  and  ventilation  in-any  of  the  two,  three,  and  four-room 
buildings  is  satisfactory — at  least  where  the  hot  air  system  is  used.  The 
exceptions  are  very  few.  The  common  complaint  heard  is:  "This  heat- 
ing and  ventilating  system  was  installed  according  to  the  state  require- 
ments but  we  cannot  keep  the  building  warm  in  cold  weather."  A  num- 
ber of  heating  plants  that  were  "installed  according  to  state  require- 
ments" have  been  taken  out  and  replaced  with  a  system  "installed  to 
heat."  With  the  heating  system  installed  in  such  a  way  there  is  not  only 
no  ventilation  but  no  standardization  and  no  state  aid. 

All  school  buildings  erected  in  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  this 
law  meet  the  requirements  for  standardization  and  state  aid  in  regard  to 
building,  lighting,  heating  and  ventilation.  THERE  SEEMS  TO  BE  AN 
IMPRESSION  THAT  THE  REQUIREMENTS  IN  REGARD  TO  HEATING 
AND  VENTILATION  NEED  NOT  BE  COMPLIED  WITH  UNLESS  STATE 
AID  IS  WANTED.  Rather  than  "taking  chances"  on  a  heating  and  venti- 
lating system  that  meets  requirements  for  state  aid  there  are  some 
school  boards  that  have  preferred  to  put  in  a  "heating  system  that  will 
work  and  let  the  little  state  aid  go." 

Now  this  "heating  system  that  will  work"  is  usually  a  system  that  has 
an  aversion  to  new  unused  air.  In  fact  every  precaution  is  taken  to  keep 
it  out.  The  old  foul  used  air  in  the  room  seems  to  be  considered  good 
enough  to  be  used  day  in  day  out  for  the  whole  term.  If  the  health  of 
the  children  is  of  no  consideration  then  there  would  be  no  objection  to 
such  a  system.  But  the  health  of  the  children  is  of  the  greatest  import- 


8  LAWS   AND    RULES   REGARDING    SCHOOL   BUILDINGS 

ance  and  therefore  every  school  building  to  be  erected  WHETHER  STATE 
AID  IS  WANTED  OR  NOT  is  required  to  be  provided  with  a  heating  and 
ventilating  system  that  complies  with  the  provisions  of  the  law. 

HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  OF  SCHOOL  BUILDINGS. 
GENERAL  STATEMENT 

Heating  and  ventilation  are  inseparable  so  far  as  the  means  used  for 
securing  a  satisfactory  temperature  and  a  wholesome  supply  of  air  are 
concerned.  The  condition  so  often  found,  however,  a  condition  due  large- 
ly to  ignorance,  is  that  the  devices  for  securing  ventilation  are  not  made 
use  of.  Only  that  part  of  the  plant  which  warms  the  room  is  used.  As 
a  result  fuel  is  in  some  cases  saved,  in  other  cases  wasted,  and  in  all 
cases  the  pupils'  comfort  is  decreased  and  their  energy  wasted. 

Heat  is  distributed  by  air  currents  only.  By  cutting  off  the  air  cur- 
rents or  reducing  them  by  means  of  dampers,  there  is  loss  not  only  of 
ventilation  but  of  heat  as  well.  The  jacketed  stove  not  only  fails  to  ven- 
tilate but  fails  absolutely  as  a  heater  if  the  fresh  air  pipe  is  not  kept 
open.  The  foul  air  pipe  or  ventiduct  must  also  be  kept  open  all  the  time 
in  order  that  the  cold,  foul  air  near  the  floor  may  be  removed.  As  the 
temperature  of  the  warm  fresh  air  overhead  cools  it  gradually  sinks  to 
the  floor  and  in  turn  passes  out  through  the  ventiduct.  By  proper  opera- 
tion, therefore,  of  the  jacketed  stove,  the  room  is  both  heated  and  venti- 
lated. If  not  properly  operated,  it  does  not  ventilate,  and  heats  poorly. 

When  the  warm  air  basement  furnace  is  used,  ducts  and  openings 
must  be  properly  placed.  From  what  is  known  regarding  the  principles 
governing  the  circulation  of  air,  the  best  results  both  as  to  heating  and 
ventilation  are  obtained  when  the  heated  air  enters  the  room  about  eight 
feet  above  the  floor,  and  the  air  next  to  the  floor  is  drawn  out  through  a 
ventiduct  on  the  SAME  WALL  as  the  inlet.  In  this  way  the  air  makes  a 
complete  circuit  of  the  room  before  it  is  discharged  through  the  venti- 
duct. ONLY  AIR  FROM  OUTDOORS  SHOULD  BE  DRAWN  INTO  THE 
FURNACE,  The  air  after  it  has  made  the  circuit  of  the  room,  after  it 
has  become  polluted  by  the  exhalations  from  the  lungs  and  the  bodies  of 
the  pupils  should  be  discharged  into  the  open  air  from  the  ventiduct 
which  extends  through  the  roof. 

When  a  steam  heating  plant  is  used,  the  same  arrangement  of  heat 
flues  and  ventiducts  should  be  use. 

It  is  frequently  urged  that  there  should  be  a  return  duct  from  the 
school  room  to  the  furnace  as  a  means  of  saving  fuel.  This  arrangement 
results  in  some  saving  of  fuel  and  would  be  perfectly  proper  if  used  only 
when  school  is  not  in  session — i.  e.  in  the  morning  before  the  pupils  ar- 
rive. The  danger,  however,  is  that  once  opened,  it  will  be  neglected  and 
will  allow  the  air  to  rotate  during  the  school  hours;  and  it  is  therefore 
safer  to  not  provide  such  an  arrangement.  Where  there  already  is  such 
an  arrangement,  teachers  and  janitors  must  use  it  only  as  intended — i.  e. 
not  during  school  hours. 

There  seems  to  be  much  dissatisfaction  expressed  over  having  the 
warm  air  inlet  high  on  the  wall.  The  children  coming  to  school  become 


Woodbury  School,  Stutsman  County 


Floor  plan  and  basement  plan   for  the  Woodbury   School,  a   very  good 
plan  for  a  one-room  school 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 


chilled  and  have  no  way  to  warm  themselves.  Those  who  express  the  dis- 
satisfaction urge  that  there  should  be  a  warm  air  register  in  the  floor. 

FLOOR  REGISTERS  SHOULD  NEVER  BE  PERMITTED  IN  ANY 
SCHOOL  ROOM. 

They  allow  the  air  ducts  to  be  filled  with  dirt  and  air  supplied  through 
such  a  duct  is  not  fit  to  breathe.  A  good  way  which  is  frequently  used 
for  the  children  to  warm  themselves  is  to  provide  a  seat  in  the  coat  room 
and  on  the  side  of  the  wall  under  the  seat  have  a  warm  air  register.  The 
warm  air  streaming  out  through  this  will  warm  their  feet.  This  register 
being  above  the  floor  six  or  eight  inches  allows  no  dirt  to  collect  in  it. 
Another  arrangement  where  the  hot  air  furnace  is  used  is  to  have  two 
registers  in  the  warm  air  duct  to  the  schoolroom,  one  from  six  to  eight 
inches  above  the  floor  and  the  other  about  eight  feet  above  the  floor. 
Immediately  above  the  lower  register  is  a  damper  which  when  shut  al- 
lows the  warm  air  to  come  out  through  the  lower  register.  This  may  be 
used  in  the  mornings  when  the  children  want  to  warm  themselves.  The 
upper  register  is  needed  and  must  be  used  at  all  times,  except  as  above 
stated,  in  order  that  the  heat  may  be  distributed  evenly  over  the  room. 

We  used  to  think  of  ventilation  as  being  necessary  only  to  remove  air 
that  as  a  result  of  having  been  breathed  had  had  carbon  dioxide  sub- 
stituted for  a  part  of  the  oxygen.  Authorities  now  hold  that  an  accum- 
lation  of  carbon  dioxide  in  sufficient  quantities  to  make  the  air  dangerous 
in  school  buildings  is  very  improbable  under  ordinary  circumstances. 
The  factors  which  are  at  present  considered  essential  to  good  ventilation 
are:  CIRCULATION,  TEMPERATURE  AND  HUMIDITY.  These  three 
things  are  essential  in  order  to  secure  the  greatest  amount  of  human  com- 
fort and  efficiency.  The  air  must  circulate  sufficiently  to  carry  off  the 
heat  emanating  from  the  body  and  from  the  air  expelled  from  the  lungs, 
if  not,  a  feeling  of  discomfort  and  indisposition  to  work  results.  The 
temperature  must  be  between  65  and  70  degrees  Fahrenheit,  and  the  hu- 
midity about  50  per  cent.  Under  these  conditions  people  experience  the 
greatest  comfort  and  the  best  incentive  to  work.  When  cold  air  is  heated 
the  relative  humidity  is  lowered.  Some  means  must,  therefore,  be  found 
to  add  moisture  to  the  heated  air.  For  small  heating  plants,  the  only 
means  is  the  evaporating  pan.  It  is  therefore  essential  that  this  is  kept 
supplied  with  water  at  all  times. 

A  heating  and  ventilating  system,  therefore,  to  meet  the  requirements 
must  furnish  a  plentiful  supply  of  fresh  air  at  a  temperature  of  from  65 
to  70  degrees  Fahrenheit.  The  air  must  be  of  the  right  humidity  and  it 
must  circulate  sufficiently  to  stir  up  any  quiescent  air  which  may  form 
a  casing  about  the  body  of  the  individual.  No  heating  and  ventilating 
plant,  however  expensive,  will  do  this  without  intelligent  operation. 

Where  the  school  district  has  equipped  the  school  with  a  heating  and 
ventilating  system,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  teacher  who  has  the  school  in 
charge  to  learn  to  operate  that  plant  whether  it  is  a  jacketed  stove  or 
some  other  system.  The  janitor,  if  there  is  one,  is  not  as  a  rule  a  person 
who  knows  very  much  about  the  principles  governing  ventilation  or  is 
capable  of  informing  himself  in  that  respect.  It  is  for  the  teacher  to 
know  and  see  that  the  system  is  operated  correctly. 


10  LAWS   AND    RULES   REGARDING    SCHOOL    BUILDINGS 

VENTILATION 
By  Dr.  J.  Grassick 
(From  Grand  Forks  County  School  Bulletin,  December,  1917.) 

It  will  not  be  long  before  we  have  to  face  the  rigors  of  another  winter ; 
with  it  will  come  problems  of  vital  interest  to  every  one  who  resides  in 
the  northwest.  First,  of  course,  come  the  problems  of  existence.  Homes 
have  to  be  built,  food  provided,  fuel  procured,  bodies  clothed,  feet  shod, 
etc.  After  these  are  more  or  less  satisfactorily  solved,  it  is  little  wonder 
that  some  others  of  seemingly  minor  importance  should  be  in  a  manner 
overlooked.  One  of  the  chief  of  these  is  ventilation,  because  it  has  to  do 
with  the  health  and  welfare  of  the  individual.  Its  importance  has  not 
been  fully  recognized  by  the  masses.  Fresh  air  is  the  freest  of  all  gifts 
and  by  the  very  reason  of  this  we  are  apt  to  overlook  its  benefits  or  fail 
to  appreciate  its  mission  in  the  economy  of  health.  This  is  especially 
true  in  North  Dakota,  where  the  severity  of  the  winter  weather  makes 
us  often  feel  we  are  getting  too  much  of  a  good  thing,  and 'we  set  our- 
selves resolutely  to  work  to  keep  it  out  of  our  homes.  We  erect  our 
house  with  that  end  in  view.  We  paper  and  plaster  and  back  plaster  and 
side  and  double  side;  we  double  our  doors  and  windows  and  felt  the 
joints  and  stop  up  every  crack  or  cranny  that  could  by  any  possibility 
let  in  a  whiff  of  God's  fresh  air.  In  winter  we  lock  up  for  the  night  as 
nearly  as  possible  in  a  hermitically  sealed  box  for  the  purpose  of  "keep- 
ing warm"  and  having  survived,  we  repeat  the  process  in  the  summer  for 
the  purpose  of  "keeping  cool."  In  our  newest  public  buildings,  school 
houses,  and  assembly  halls,  we  are  in  a  majority  of  cases  making  ade- 
quate provisions  for  ventilation,  but  in  the  ordinary  home,  even  those  that 
are  supposed  to  be  up-to-date  and  modern,  very  little  attention  has  been 
paid  to  this  most  important  part  of  the  construction.  The  same  may  be 
said  in  regard  to  school  houses,  churches,  public  halls,  etc.,  in  villages 
and  country  districts.  What  does  this  mean?  Simply  that  we  fill  our 
lungs  with  air  charged  with  oxygen,  an  interchange  takes  place  and  we 
exhale  a  vile  mixture  of  carbon  dioxide  ,waste  product,  effete  materials  and 
disease  germs.  This  we  do  about  100  times  every  hour.  An  easy  calcu- 
lation will  show  you  how  many  times  you  are  breathing  and  rebreathing 
the  same  mixture  unless  provisions  are  made  for  a  fresh  supply.  You 
would  not  think  of  washing  in  the  same  water  that  the  family  and  the 
guests  have  used  and  reused  in  their  ablutions;  yet  this  would  be  hygenic 
in  comparison  with  inhaling  and  reinhaling  the  poison  laden  and  disease 
infected  atmosphere  of  an  unventilated  home.  No  wonder  that  thousands 
of  women  and  children,  who  are  by  force  of  conditions  and  circumstances 
compelled  to  spend  most  of  their  time  indoors,  are  being  slowly  poisoned 
by  close  rooms  and  bad  air.  Slowly  and  insidiously  the  work  goes  on  until 
impoverished  constitutions  and  enfeebled  bodies  tell  the  story.  Remember 
that  bad  air  is  always  a  poison  whether  found  in  the  sanctified  atmosphere 
of  a  church,  the  sacred  abode  of  a  home,  the  hilarious  precincts  of  a  ball 
room  or  the  vitiated  surroundings  of  the  slums,  and  any  air  becomes  bad 
by  being  breathed  over  and  over  again. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  11 

We  now  believe  that  the  regulation  of  oxygen  and  carbon  dioxide, 
important  though  it  is,  is  not  the  only  factor  that  enters  into  the  intall- 
ment  of  modern  ventilating  systems.  The  idea  is  gaining  ground  that 
the  physical  condition  of  the  air  on  the  outside  of  the  body  has  as  much 
to  do  with  the  metabolism  as  the  chemical  condition  of  the  air  that  en- 
ters our  body  through  the  lungs.  The  body  processes  are  governed 
through  the  nervous  mechanism,  and  these  are  influenced  very  materially 
by  external  stimuli  acting  reflexly  on  the  central  organisms.  Tropism, 
the  response  of  protoplasm  in  external  stimuli  and  little  by  little  is 
feeling  their  effect  on  improved  health  and  an  increased  metabolism. 

How  to  get  outside  air,  fresh  air,  live  air,  into  our  homes  in  our 
rigid  climate  and  keep  up  the  necessary  warmth  is  a  problem  that  is  not 
easily  solved,  but  it  must  be  solved  if  we  are  to  get  the  best  that  there 
is  out  of  it.  Inside  air  soon  loses  its  life-giving  principle.  This  biogen, 
if  we  may  so  name  it,  has  so  far  eluded  our  search  but  is  there  never- 
theless. Dead  air  is  deficient  in  this  and  may  become  so  by  being  con- 
fined, breathed  or  passed  through  some  of  our  modern  ventilating  de- 
vices. It  may  be  an  ethereal  something  that  is  abstracted  by  our  organ- 
Ism  or  destroyed  by  heat  or  mechanical  agitation  but  whatever  it  is,  we 
know  that  it  disappears  when  air  is  subjected  to  any  of  these  conditions. 
Ideal  ventilation,  therefore,  would  mean  a  sufficient  and  free  circulation 
of  outside  air  through  natural  conditions.  This  in  our  modern  dwelling 
would  mean  open  windows.  With  zero  weather,  a  stiff  gale  blowing  and 
fuel  on  the  ascendency,  open  windows  are  a  luxury  that  few  can  afford  to 
have.  Under  such  adverse  conditions  our  modern  ventilating  systems 
have  a  legitimate  place.  They  supply  us  with  air,  not  by  any  means  the 
best,  but  under  the  conditions  we  have  to  face,  we  must  be  content  with 
choosing  between  two  evils — breathing  of  more  or  less  vitiated  air  on  the 
one  hand  or  being  chilled  on  the  other.  Subjecting  a  person  in  a  room 
to  a  draft  of  cold  air — even  if  it  is  fresh — for  any  considerable  length 
of  time  unless  the  individual  is  protected  sufficiently  is  hazardous  in  the 
extreme.  Continued  for  a  short  time  it  may  act  as  a  powerful  tonic,  but 
the  time  must  be  governed  by  the  capacity  of  the  body  to  react.  If  be- 
yond this  the  most  serious  results  may  follow.  This  I  believe,  is  in  ac- 
cordance with  plain  physiological  laws  that  we  often  lose  sight  of  in  dis- 
cussing the  question. 

Get  fresh  air  by  the  most  approved  method  that  you  can,  but  if  you 
cannot  have  the  best,  get  fresh  air  anyway. 

There  is  not  a  purer  or  better  air  anywhere  than  in  North  Dakota, 
and  yet  we  find  persons  closing  it  out  of  their  homes  by  every  method, 
possible.  We  are  just  beginning  to  wake  up  to  the  fact  that  it  is  possible 
to  turn  every  home  in  our  land  into  a  sanitarium  where  by  fresh  air  and 
correct  methods  of  living  we  would  not  only  be  able  to  prevent  the  devel- 
opment of  new  cases  of  consumption  but  also  to  combat  and  cure  those 
already  contracted.  Let  it  be  emphatically  stated  here  that  it  is  not  so 
much  a  matter  of  altitude  or  climate,  but  AIR,  good  fresh  airr  that  is  needed, 
and  North  Dakota  in  that  respect  can  give  you  a  quality  of  material  that 
cannot  be  surpassed  anywhere.  These  Northwestern  breezes  that  start  at 


12  LAWS   AND   RULES   REGARDING   SCHOOL   BUILDINGS 

the  Pacific  coast  charged  with  the  iodine  of  the  ocean,  kiss  in  their  pas- 
sage the  snow  capped  peaks  of  the  Rockies,  come  over  the  western  prair- 
ies perfumed  with  the  balm  of  a  thousand  flowers  in  summer  and  laden 
with  a  germ-free  breath  of  healing  in  winter  and  bring  us  a  message  of 
health.  They  calm  the  unstrung  nerves,  and  tone  up  the  laggard  circula- 
tion. They  give  strength  to  the  weak,  and  the  balm  of  rest  to  the  sleep- 
less. They  implant  hope  in  the  heart  and  let  the  light  of  truth  shine  into 
the  soul.  Open  your  homes  for  them,  for  in  so  doing  you  may  be  "en- 
tertaining angels  unawares." 


Consolidated  School  building  at  Chaseley  in  Antelope  School  District, 
Wells  County.  This  building  was  erected  in  1918  and  cost  complete  with 
steam  heating  plant  and  plumbing  $15,100.00. 


Floor  plan  and  basement  plan  of  the  Chaseley  Consolidated  School, 
good  plan  for  a  small  four-room  building 


Consolidated  School  in  Estabrook  School  District,  Foster  County.  This 
building  is  of  concrete  and  hollow  clay  tile  construction  with  a  cement 
stucco  finish.  It  cost  complete  with  warm  air  heating  plant  and  toilets 
$11,700.00  in  1918. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  13 


PLANS  AND  SPECIFICATIONS  FOR  SCHOOL  BUILDINGS 
The  State  Department  of  Public  Instruction  has  never  been  prepared 
to  furnish  plans  and  specifications  for  school  buildings.  To  get  plans 
and  specifications  it  is  necessary  for  school  boards  to  employ  an  archi- 
tect. Before  adopting  plans  and  specifications  prepared  by  architects  or 
other  draughtsmen,  these  plans  must  be  submitted  to  the  State  Depart- 
ment of  Public  Instruction  for  approval. 

DIMENSIONS  OF  SCHOOL  ROOMS 

The  most  satisfactory  dimensions  of  the  ordinary  school  room  have 
been  found  to  be: 

Floor  space:  For  30  pupils — 23  feet  by  23  feet  6  inches  or  20  feet  by 
27  feet. 

For  35  pupils — 23  feet  by  27  feet  6  inches  or  21  feet  by  30  feet. 

For  40  pupils— 23  feet  by  31  feet  4  inches. 

There  must  be  not  less  than  twelve  (12)  square  feet  of  floor  space 
for  each  pupil. 

Ceiling1:  No  school  room  must  be  less  than  twelve  (12)  feet  in 
height. 

Coat  room:  A  coat  room  must  adjoin  each  school  room  and  must  be 
at  least  five  (5)  feet  wide.  It  must  have  at  least  one  outside  window, 
with  a  net  glass  area  of  one  square  foot  to  every  ten  (10)  square  feet  of 
floor  area. 

Doors:  Each  school  room  must  have  a  door  at  least  three  (3)  feet 
by  seven  (7)  feet,  made  to  swing  out,  placed  preferably  near  the  teach- 
er's end  of  the  room. 

BLACKBOARDS 

Each  school  room  should  have  at  least  one  hundred  (100)  square  feet 
of  good  blackboard,  preferably  slate. 

The  distance  of  blackboards  FROM  THE  FLOOR  should  be,  for  prim- 
ary rooms,  not  more  than  twenty-four  (24)  inches;  for  grammar  grades, 
not  more  than  thirty  (30)  inches,  except  that  the  front  board  used  mainly 
by  the  teacher  may  be  from  thirty  (30)  to  thirty-two  (32)  inches  from 
the  floor.  For  a  one-room  rural  school  where  there  are  pupils  of  all 
grades  part  of  the  blackboards  should  be  not  more  than  twenty-four  (24) 
inches  from  the  floor  and  part  thirty  (30)  or  thirty-two  (32)  inches. 

The  width  of  the  blackboards  should  not  be  less  than  forty-two  (42) 
inches. 

LIGHTING 

Amount  of  glass  area:  The  glass  area  of  all  elementary  rooms,  all 
high  school  study  rooms,  recitation  rooms,  industrial  rooms  and  library 
rooms  must  equal  20  per  cent  of  the  floor  area  of  the  room. 

Location  of  windows:  Light  shall  be  admitted  from  the  left  or  from 
the  left  and  rear  of  class  rooms. 


14  LAWS   AND    RULES   REGARDING    SCHOOL    BUILDINGS 

The  building  should  be  so  placed  that  each  class  room  shall  receive 
sunlight  during  some  part  of  the  day.  Light  from  the  east  is  most  desir- 
able. Light  from  the  west  holds  second  place.  Light  from  the  north  as 
well  as  from  the  south  should  be  avoided  in  school  rooms. 

COLOR  OF  WALLS  AND  CEILING 

The  color  upon  the  walls  of  the  school  room  is  very  important,  for 
color  affects  the  nervous  system  in  a  very  direct  way  and  the  reaction  is 
shown  in  the  temperament  and  disposition  of  the  persons  living  within 
those  walls. 

All  walls  should  be  of  a  light  color,  but  not  white.  A  light  gray, 
light  tan,  chrome  yellow,  or  a  light  olive  green  are  the  most  hygenic 
colors  for  school  room  walls.  Blues  are  depressing;  reds  are  exciting; 
heavy  or  bright  greens  are  irritating.  Walls  should  never  be  a  bright 
clear  color  but  a  tint  of  a  color  grayed.  The  woodwork  should  be  a  shade 
of  that  same  color.  It  is  hard  to  speak  in  terms  of  color  for  there  are  good 
and  bad  effects  in  every  color,  and  while  the  good  is  always  good,  the 
bad  is  not  only  bad  but  positively  injurious.  Therefore,  for  safety's  sake 
two  colors  are  recommended — light  tan  walls  with  brown  wood  and  neu- 
tral gray  walls  with  darker  gray  finishings.  Either  of  these  walls  will 
make  a  room  look  clean,  large  and  airy  and  serve  as  a  beautiful  back- 
ground for  pictures.  In  each  case  the  CEILING  should  be  a  lighter  tint 
of  the  wall's  color — with  the  tan  walls,  a  cream  ceiling;  with  the  gray 
walls,  a  pearl  ceiling. 

WINDOW  SHADES 

When  building  a  new  school  house  never  leave  the  windows  without 
shades  any  more  than  leave  the  walls  white.  The  result  will  be  as  in- 
jurious to  the  children  as  to  leave  out  the  heating  plant  although  the 
effects  will  not  be  recognized  as  soon. 

It  is  an  economical  necessity  that  every  school  building  have  window 
shades.  Shades  are  needed  to  regulate  the  amount  of  direct  light  which 
comes  into  the  room.  Direct  sunlight  falling  upon  the  open  books  is  very 
injurious  to  the  eyes.  Sunlight  falling  upon  the  polished  tops  of  desks  or 
glass  doors  of  book  cases  is  reflected  into  the  eyes  of  the  children  and  is 
as  bad  as  direct  sunlight.  Translucent  shades  should  be  used.  Opaque 
window  shades  should  not  be  used.  Care  should  bt3  taken  to  have  color 
of  shades  harmonize  with  color  of  the  walls.  The  window  shades  should 
be  the  adjustable  kind  which  may  be  lowered  from  the  top  or  raised  from 
the  bottom  at  will,  thus  making  it  possible  at  all  times  to  have  a  softened 
light  over  th£  room  which  is  restful  to  the  eyes  and  to  the  nerves. 

HEATING  AND  VENTILATION 

Temperature:  All  heating  plants,  including  both  direct  and  indirect 
radiation,  must  be  of  sufficient  capacity  to  maintain  a  uniform  tempera- 
ture of  seventy  (70)  degrees  F.  at  the  breathing  plane  in  all  school  rooms 
when  the  outside  temperature  does  not  fall  below  twenty  degrees  F. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  15 

Standard  temperature  of  all  school  rooms  shall  not  be  more  than  sixty- 
eight  (68)  degrees  F.  In  corridors  and  coat  rooms  the  temperature  shall 
be  maintained  at  not  less  than  sixty  (60)  degrees  F.  EACH  ROOM 
SHOULD  BE  PROVIDED  WITH  A  THERMOMETER. 

A  system  of  ventilation  shall  furnish  not  less  than  thirty  (30)  cubic 
feet  of  air  per  minute  for  each  person  that  the  room  will  accommodate 
in  accordance  with  the  rules  governing  seating  capacities  of  rooms. 

The  capacity  of  a  gravity  system  of  ventilation  shall  be  subject  to 
test  in  accordance  with  this  provision  only  when  the  difference  of  temper- 
ature of  the  outside  air  and  the  air  of  the  school  room  shall  be  forty  (40) 
degrees,  or  more. 

THE  JACKETED  STOVE 

(Smith  system,  Waterbury  system,  or  some  similar  system.) 
The  jacketed  stove  such  as  put  out  by  the  Smith  or  Waterbury  system 
is  an  excellent  heating  and  ventilating  system.  It  must  be  installed  ac- 
cording to  directions  for  installing  these  systems  and  operated  properly. 
The  foul  air  pipe  and  fresh  air  intake  pipe  must  be  kept  open.  If  these 
two  pipes  are  closed  the  jacketed  stove  not  only  fails  to  ventilate  but  fails 
absolutely  to  heat.  It  is  necessary  to  have  a  properly  built  chimney  in 
order  to  get  the  best  results  from  such  a  system.  Install  the  system  ac- 
cording to  directions  furnished  by  the  company  selling  the  system  and 
operate  also  according  to  the  directions  furnished. 

THE  HOT  AIR  BASEMENT  FURNACE 

Furnace  requirements:  The  law  requires  that  all  furnaces  and 
furnace  installations  must  be  approved  by  the  State  Department  of  Public 
Instruction  before  contracts  are  let. 

The  "PIPELESS  HOT  AIR  FURNACE"  does  NOT  meet  state  require- 
ments for  heating  and  ventilating  school  buildings  and  cannot  be  ap- 
proved by  the  State  Department  of  Public  Instruction. 

If  a  building  of  two  or  three  or  four  rooms  is  to  be  heated  by  the  hot 
air  furnace  it  is  recommended  that  two  furnaces  be  used.  A  large  num- 
ber of  two-room  buildings  heated  by  one  hot  air  furnace  have  been  in- 
spected and  not  one  has  been  found  that  was  heated  satisfactorily. 

The  cut  on  page  23  illustrates  the  proper  way  of  installing  two  hot 
air  furnaces. 

Design  of  furnace:  The  furnace  must  be  designed  to  heat  an  ade- 
quate amount  of  outside  air  to  a  degree  which  will  insure  a  comfortable 
temperature  in  school  rooms  and  provide  at  the  same  time  proper  venti- 
lation. 

The  cross  section  area  between  the  heating  surface  and  the  casing 
must  be  of  such  proportion  to  the  fresh  air  supply  duct  that  no  percep- 
tible resistance  is  encountered  by  the  air  in  passing  to  the  hot  air  leaders. 

Grate  area:  The  grate  area  of  furnaces  in  which  soft  coal  is  used 
as  fuel  shall  not  be  less  than  one  square  foot  to  every  2500  cubic  feet 
of  school  room  and  not  less  than  one  square  foot  to  every  3500  cubic  feet 


16  LAWS   AND   RULES   REGARDING   SCHOOL   BUILDINGS 

of  corridors,  coat  rooms  and  other  rooms  not  continuously  used  for  reci- 
tation or  study. 

The  heating  surface  in  direct  contact  with  the  fire  or  with  hot  gases 
in  a  furnace  in  which  soft  coal  is  used  shall  be  twelve  (12)  feet  for  each 
thousand  (1000)  cubic  feet  of  school  room  and  twelve  (12)  square  feet  for 
each  1500  cubic  feet  of  other  space  to  be  heated  in  the  building. 

Fresh  air  intake:  All  air  to  be  heated  shall  be  drawn  from  outside. 
The  fresh  air  intake  shall  have  a  cross  section  area  equivalent  to  not  less 
than  eighty  (80)  per  cent  of  the  cross  section  area  of  all  warm  air  ducts. 

Warm  air  ducts:  The  flues  for  admitting  warm  air  to  any  room  on 
the  first  floor  shall  have  a  cross  section  area  of  not  less  than  one  (1) 
square  foot  for  every  one  hundred  sixty  (160)  square  feet  of  floor  area 
in  the  school  room.  The  warm  air  ducts  for  the  second  floor  shall  have  a 
cross  section  area  of  three-fourths  (%)  square  foot  for  every  one  hund- 
red sixty  (160)  square  feet  of  floor  area. 

The  hot  air  register  should  have  its  lower  edge  about  eight  (8)  feet 
above  the  floor. 

Foul  air  ducts  or  ventiducts:  As  has  already  been  stated  before 
where  the  hot  air  furnace  is  used  to  heat  a  two  or  three  room  building, 
two  hot  air  furnaces  should  be  installed.  There  should  also  be  two  chim- 
neys like  the  chimneys  shown  on  page  27.  This  is  a  foul  air  flue  with  a  clay 
tile  smoke  stack  in  the  center.  A. foul  air  flue  of  this  kind  has  been  found 
very  satisfactory.  A  metal  smoke  stack  of  No.  12  gauge  iron  might  be 
used  instead  of  tile  but  iron  will  rust  out  in  time. 

If  separate  ventiducts  are  used  then  those  from  the  first  floor  must 
have  a  cross  section  area  of  not  less  than  three-fourths  (%)  square  foot 
for  every  one  hundred  sixty  (160)  square  feet  of  floor  area  of  the  school 
room.  The  ventiducts  from  the  second  floor  must  have  a  cross  section 
area  of  one  (1)  square  foot  for  every  one  hundred  and  sixty  (160)  square 
feet  of  floor  area  of  school  room.  Vent  openings  MUST  BE  at  the  floor 
level,  on  the  same  side  of  the  room  as  the  warm  air  flues. 

Satisfactory  provision  must  be  made  for  stimulating  an  upward  cur- 
rent in  ventiducts.  Where  the  hot  air  furnace  is  used  this  is  impossible 
except  by  using  the  chimney  with  the  clay  tile  smoke  stack  as  the  foul  air 
vent. 

Where  a  steam  system  is  used  it  can  be  easily  accomplished  by  an 
accelerating  coil.  In  that  case  each  vent  shall  have  the  equivalent  of  not 
less  than  twenty  (20)  square  feet  of  accelerating  coil. 

Floor  registers :  Floor  registers  MUST  NOT  be  used  in  any  school 
building,  but  heat  registers  in  coat  rooms  may  be  placed  eight  (8)  inches 
above  the  floor.  Any  heat  duct  with  an  opening  eight  (8)  feet  above  the 
floor  may  also  have  an  additional  opening  near  the  floor.  This  lower 
opening  is  to  be  equipped  with  a  register  and  the  heat  duct  with  a  damper 
which  will  deflect  the  air  current  through  the  register. 


JLJU  .  L  -  J-J 


This  shows  a  good  way  of  installing  a  hot  air  furnace.    By  means  of 
the  fresh  air  chamber  the  supply  of  air  is  regulated 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  17 

Foot  warmers:  Foot  warmers  if  installed  will  be  permitted  if  reg- 
ister is  placed  in  the  wall  with  edge  at  floor  level.  No  floor  register  will 
be  permitted. 

Rwirculation  of  air:  .Return  ducts  for  reheating  air  should  not  be 
used  and  if  used  these  ducts  must  not  have  floor  registers.  It  must  be  a 
register  in  the  wall  near  the  floor  and  on  the  same  wall  as  the  hot  air 
register.  The  register  must  be  provided  with  a  valve  so  that  the  return 
duct  can  be  closed  during  school  hours. 

STEAM  HEAT 

For  buildings  of  four  rooms  or  more  the  steam  heating  system  is 
recommended. 

Where  the  steam  heating  system  is  used  the  heating  system  shall  be 
combined  with  the  ventilating  system,  and  whenever  practicable,  the 
direct  radiation  and  the  indirect  radiation  shall  be  connected  to  separate 
mains. 

Where  the  gravity  system  of  ventilation  is  used  in  connection  with 
the  steam  heating  system  the  heat  ducts  and  vent  ducts  shall  each  have 
a  cross  section  area  of  not  less  than  one  (1)  square  foot  for  every  one 
hundred  sixty  (160)  square  feet  of  floor  area  of  the  school  room. 

Heat  ducts  shall  be  supplied  with  not  less  than  fifty  (50)  square  feet 
of  indirect  radiation  for  each  square  foot  of  cross  section  area  of  duct. 

Each  ventiduct  shall  have  the  equivalent  of  not  less  than  twenty  (20) 
square  feet  of  accelerating  coil. 

The  fresh  air  must  be  taken  directly  from  the  outside  and  should  be 
taken  into  the  fresh  air  chamber  which  must  be  kept  clean  at  all  times 
and  must  not  be  used  for  storage  purposes. 

All  dampers  in  ventilating  systems  must  have  brass  tags  with  an  ex- 
planation of  their  use. 

FAN  SYSTEM  OF  VENTILATION 

For  all  buildings  "of  six  rooms  or  more  the  fan  system  of  ventilation 
should  be  installed. 

THE  FURNACE  ROOM 

Care:  Failure  to  heat  a  school  building  properly  is  often  due  to  the 
reckless  condition  in  which  the  basement  is  kept. 

Equipment:  The  basement  should  be  equipped  with  storm  doors  and 
storm  windows  and  a  good  coal  chute  is  absolutely  necessary. 

Coal  chutes  where  built  of  cement  with  wooden  outside  door,  should 
also  have  an  inside  door  to  be  kept  closed. 

In  fact  all  coal  chutes  should  be  provided  with  inside  doors.  Much 
coal  would  thus  be  saved  as  those  in  charge  are  found  to  be  frequently 
careless  about  closing  the  outside  opening. 

FIRE  PROTECTION 

The  law  regarding  fire  escapes: 

§  1200.  Exits  Required.]  All  school  houses  having  more  than  one 
school  room  shall  have  the  doors  in  the  exits  opening  outward,  and  it  is 
hereby  further  provided  that  after  the  passage  of  this  act  school  houses 


18  LAWS   AND    RULES   REGARDING    SCHOOL    BUILDINGS 

of  more  than  one  room  thereafter  erected  shall  be  provided*  with  an  exit 
not  less  than  four  feet  six  inches  in  width.  All  doors  to  be  kept  unlocked 
from  8:30  a.  m.  to  4:30  o'clock  p.  m.  on  school  days. 

§  1201.  Fire  Escape,  How  Constructed.]  There  is  hereby  required  a 
stationary  fire  escape,  consisting  of  iron  stairways,  attached  to  school 
houses  having  more  than  one  story,  with  iron  landings  easily  acces:3ible 
from  each  school  room  above  the  first  floor,  guarded  by  an  iron  railing 
not  less  than  two  feet  six  inches  in  height.  Such  landings  shall  be  con- 
nected by  iron  stairs  not  less  than  three  feet  wide  and  with  steps  not  less 
than  six  inches  tread,  and  protected  by  a  well  secured  hand  rail  of  iron 
on  both  sides  and  reaching  to  the  ground.  Provided,  however,  that  the  six- 
foot  section  immediately  above  the  ground  shall  be  hinged  to  the  main 
escape  so  it  may  be  swung  out  of  the  way  when  not  in  use;  further  pro- 
vided that  this  section  shall  not  affect  school  houses  now  constructed 
and  provided  with  adequate  fire  escapes.  The  way  of  egress  to  such  fire 
escape  shall  at  all  times  be  kept  free  and  clear  from  all  obstruction  of  any 
and  every  nature. 

§  1202.  Duty  of  School  Officers.]  Trustees,  boards  of  directors 
boards  of  education,  or  any  other  person  having  charge  of  such  schojl 
houses  shall  comply  with  the  provisions  of  this  act  within  six  months  a? cer 
its  passage  and  approval. 

§1203.  Penalty.]  Any  person  or  board  violating  any  of  the  provi- 
sions of  this  act  shall  upon  conviction  thereof,  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  mis- 
demeanor and  shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  less  than  twenty-five 
dollars  or  more  than  one  hundred  dollars. 

The  law  regarding  fire  drill  and  guards: 

FIRE  DRILL  AND  GUARDS  FOR  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

An  Act   requiring   fire   drills   in   the   public   schools,   providing   for   fire 

guards,  and  prescribing  penalties  for  the  violation  thereof. 
Be  it  Enacted  by  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  State  of  North  Dakota: 
§1.  Duties  of  Teachers  and  Superintendents.]  It  shall  be  the  duty 
of  all  teachers  in  the  public  schools  of  this  state  where  any  school  has 
more  than  one  room,  to  give  at  least  two  fire  drills  each  month,  and  no 
such  teacher  shall  draw  his  salary  for  any  month  until  he  has  certified  to 
the  clerk  of  the  school  board  that  such  fire  drills  have  been  given;  provid- 
ed, that  in  districts  having  a  superintendent,  such  superintendent  shall 
prescribe  rules  governing  such  fire  drills  for  the  schools  under  his  sup- 
ervision, and  he  shall  not  draw  his  salary  until  he  shall  have  certified  to 
the  clerk  of  the  school  board  or  the  secretary  of  the  board  of  education 
that  at  least  two  such  fire  drills  have  been  given  in  each  school  under  his 
supervision,  as  provided  for  in  this  act. 

§2.  Duty  of  County  Superintendent,]  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
county  superintendent  of  schools  to  prescribe  reasonable  rules  for  giv- 
ing fire  drills  in  the  rural  schools  of  his  county,  with  special  reference  to 
prairie  fires,  and  any  school  board  may  direct  that  no  teacher  shall 
draw  his  salary  until  one  fire  drill  each  month  shall  have  been  given. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  19 

§3.  Fire  Guards.]  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  every  school  board  in  this 
state  to  provide  such  fire  guards  as  they  may  deem  reasonable  around 
schools  in  their  districts.  Should  any  school  board  fail  or  neglect  to  pro- 
vide such  fire  guards,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  county  superintendent  of 
schools  to  notify  such  school  board  of  such  failure,  and  it  shall  be  a  mis- 
demeanor for  any  member  of  such  school  board,  after  being  so  notified,  to 
draw  his  salary  until  such  guards  have  been  made. 

SANITATION 

County  Board  of  Health  law: 

§404.  County  Board  of  Health.  How  Composed.  (Session  Laws 
1915.)]  The're  is  hereby  established  county  boards  of  health,  composed 
of  a  president,  vice-president  and  superintendent;  the  state's  attorney  in 
each  county  shall  be  president  of  the  county  board;  the  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools  shall  be  vice-president,  and  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners shall  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  board  each  year  appoint  a 
superintendent  of  public  health  for  the  county,  who  shall  be  learned  in 
medicine,  and  hold  a  license  to  practice  medicine  and  surgery  within  the 
state,  and  the  several  persons  appointed  shall  hold  their  offices  for  one 
year  and  until  their  successors  are  elected  and  qualified. 

Provided,  however,  that  whenever  the  state  board  of  health  has  rea- 
son to  believe  that  the  county  superintendent  of  public  health  is  failing 
to  perform  his  duties  as  prescribed  by  law  they  may  report  the  case  to 
the  board  of  county  commissioners,  and  the  latter  may,  after  proper  hear- 
ing, at  their  next  meeting  declare  the  office  vacant,  and  appoint  another 
physician  in  his  place  for  the  remainder  of  the  unexpired  term. 

COUNTY  BOARD  OF  HEALTH  HAS  AUTHORITY  TO  CONDEMN 

SCHOOL  BUILDINGS 

§1186.  County  Board  of  Health.]  Whenever  the  county  superintend- 
ent of  schools  shall  report  to  the  county  board  of  health  that  a  school 
house  or  any  school  out  building  is  in  an  unsanitary  or  unsafe  condition, 
or  that  any  of  the  pupils  or  any  person  of  school  age  is  alleged  to  be  de- 
fective in  mind  or  body,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  board  to  investi- 
gate the  report  without  delay  and  to  direct  the  school  board  or  a  person 
in  charge  of  the  alleged  defective  to  take  such  action  as  shall  seem  to  be 
for  the  best  interests  of  the  persons  immediately  concerned. 

TOILETS 

Location:  In  order  to  secure  convenience  of  access,  adequate  light, 
efficient  ventilation,  proper  care  and  other  sanitary  conditions,  toilet 
rooms  should  be  located  on  the  first  floor  rather  than  in  the  basement. 
This  is  especially  desired  in  the  one  room  school.  All  toilet  rooms  MUST 
have  outside  light. 

Toilet  rooms  must  not  open  directly  into  play  room.  Boys  and  girls 
toilet  rooms  must  be  so  placed  that  the  strictest  privacy  is  provided. 

Fixtures:  The  number  of  fixtures  cannot  be  fixed  by  rule,  but  in 
general  it  may  be  said  that  there  should  be  one  watercloset  for  every 
twenty  girls,  one  watercloset  and  one  urinal  for  every  twenty-five  boys. 


20  LAWS   AND    RULES   REGARDING    SCHOOL   BUILDINGS 

Inside  toilets  installed  with  water  pressure  system  should  provide  a 
means  of  flushing  the  urinal. 

Liquid  soap  and  paper  towels  should  be  provided  in  lavatories. 
Where  outside  toilets  are  built  they  MUST  be  built  with  an  entry  so  as  to 
keep  out  the  snow. 

DRINKING  FOUNTAINS 

In  selecting  fountains  the  nozzle  should  be  of  a  type  which  will  not 
permit  water  which  has  touched  the  lips  to  fall  back  upon  the  stream 
from  such  nozzle. 

Common  drinking  cups  and  common  towels  must  not  be  used. 


STATE  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA  21 


WATER  SUPPLY 

From  "Health  Activities  in  North  Dakota  Public  Schools,"  by  Dr. 
A.  A.  Whittemore,  Bowman,  N.  Dak. 

The  number  of  schools  having  no  adequate  supply  of  pure  water  is 
surprising,  and  the  number  of  poorly  constructed,  unclean  toilets  that 
are  neither  weather-tight  nor  fly-proof  is  not  at  all  encouraging. 

(1.)    Water  Supply 

Without  knowing  the  geological  conditions  of  each  county  in  detail 
specific  information  is  impossible.  In  general,  however,  it  is  necessary 
that  every  school  be  abundantly  supplied  with  pure  water — with  bubbling 
fountains  or  individual  drinking  cups,  paper  towels,  and  lavatory  fa- 
cilities. 

(2.)     Dug  Wells 

This  type  of  well  is  not  usually  conceded  to  be  desirable  or  even  safe 
under  most  conditions  and  requires  more  care  than  is  ever  given  it.  It 
is  always  a  shallow  well  invariably  becoming  contaminated  and  unsafe 
from  the  growth  of  organic  matter  at  the  bottom  and  along  the  walls. 
Gophers,  mice  and  other  small  animal  life  soon  fall  into  it.  The  surface 
drainage  is  usually  too  flat  and  inadequate  and  the  platform  leaky  and 
unsanitary.  If  in  addition  to  this  there  is  an  over-abundant  supply  of 
water,  no  matter  how  pure  its  source,  the  water  is  sure  to  become  un- 
wholesome, even  if  the  well  is  cleaned  and  pumped  out  once  a  year, 
which  is,  by  the  way,  seldom  done. 

(3.)     Driven,  Bored  and  Drilled  Wrells 

These  types  of  wells  when  conditions  are  at  all  favorable,  and  pure 
water  can  be  obtained  in  sufficient  quantities,  are  the  only  ones  to  be 
seriously  considered.  Organic  bacteria  are  not  usually  found  in  numbers 
detrimental  to  health  five  or  six  feet  below  the  surface.  If  these  wells 
are  properly  curbed  with  drainage  tile  or  galvanized  iron  tubbing  extend- 
ing a  foot  or  more  above  the  surface  and  the  catchment  area  has  been 
carefully  inspected  to  see  that  the  surface  drainage  is  good  and  that  im- 
pervious strata  do  not  lead  from  sources  of  contamination,  the  water  from 
these  wells  ought  to  be  good,  if  they  are  properly  cared  for. 

(4.)     Cisterns 

There  are  a  few  places  in  the  state  where  wells  of  any  description 
cannot  be  had.  In  these  places  storage  tanks  or  rain  water  cisterns  have 
to  be  resorted  to. 

The  element  of  time  and  sedimentation  in  stored  waters  is  very  much 
in  their  favor;  but  the  primary  source  and  mode  of  transportation  should 
receive  careful  consideration. 


22  LAWS   AND    RULES   REGARDING    SCHOOL    BUILDINGS 

Rain  water  cisterns  may  be  made  safe  when  the  school  .house  is  not 
too  closely  situated  to  well  traveled  roads  or  to  other  sources  of  contam- 
ination accessible  to  flies  and  birds,  and  the  roof  is  large  enough  to  sup- 
ply the  demand.  The  first  washings  should  be  discarded.  The  storage 
tank  in  any  case  may  be  a  simple  cistern  with  well  cemented  sides,  top 
and  bottom,  situated  in  an  accessible  place.  The  water  should  be  first 
run  through  a  coarse  sand  filter.  A  soft  brick  chimney  well  and  tightly 
laid  in  cement  mortar  run  up  on  the  inside  of  the  cistern  may  be  con- 
structed for  a  supply  pipe,  or  the  water  may  be  run  through  either  a 
pressure  or  a  gravity  filter.  A  number  of  excellent  filters  are  on  the 
market.  The  whole  system  may  be  constructed  for  $200.00  to  $250.00,  not 
much  more  than  the  cost  of  a  first  class  well.  The  water  may  be  purified 
if  it  has  bacterial  content,  by  the  use  of  a  very  small  amount  of  chloride 
of  lime  (.016  of  an  ounce  to  1,000  gallons).  If  you  will  write  to  "Health 
Information  Bureau,"  of  the  American  Public  Health  Association,  Boston, 
Mass.,  and  tell  them  your  troubles,  they  will,  without  cost,  inform  you 
where  any  desired  information  on  any  health  problem  may  be  found. 

Any  water  supply  whether  in  wells  or  in  storage  systems  should  be 
examined  bacterially  and  chemically  at  one  of  the  State's  Health  Labora- 
tories frequently,  and  the  report  kept  on  file  as  a  permanent  record.  Spe- 
cial containers  will  be  furnished  upon  application  to  the  nearest  Public 
Health  Laboratory. 


This  is  an  excellent  floor  and   basement  plan  for  a  small  four-room 
school.     Thare   ar   two   large   clais   rooms   and   two   small   class   rooms. 


LA /I 


It  also  shows  the  proper  way  to  install  hot  air  basement  furnaces.    There 

are  two  furnaces  and  two  chimneys  like  the  one  shown  on  page 

This  is  the  best  way  of  providing  good  ventilation  where  the  hot  air 
furnace  is  used.  This  basement  plan  with  two  furnaces  and  two  chim- 
neys is  recommended  for  two-room  schools  also. 


This  shows  construction  of  chimney  that  should  be  built  for  all  school 
buildings  having  hot  air  basement  furnaces  or  the  jacketed  stove.  It  is 
a  combination  chimney  and  foul  air  vent  flue.  An  8-inch  vitrified  tile 
stack  is  used  as  smoke  flue.  The  smoke  flue  heats  the  air  in  the  foul 
air  flue  giving  the  air  the  upward  movement  and  causing  the  desired 
draft. 


ATE 

°AY    AND  *  !*  S°  CEN        ON  P 


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